Breaking Down the Delegate Dance

There are five Republican state races slated through March 13. Here's how to understand them as everyone focuses hard on delegates.

NEW YORK ( TheStreet) -- Accumulating delegates is all the rage as the Republican nomination race leaves behind Super Tuesday.

Mitt Romney has grabbed 419 total delegates to take a decent lead, while Rick Santorum, Newt Gingrich and Ron Paul each have received 178 delegates, 107 delegates and 47 delegates, respectively.

With a few more than 1,500 delegates up for grabs from 28 states, three U.S. territories and the District of Columbia, the underdogs will be scrambling to pick up as many delegates as possible to prevent Romney from reaching the 1,144 needed to secure the nomination.

"The reality is, if you have a proven ability to win states, anything can happen after April 1," said a Santorum campaign source.

Five more primary contests will take place through March 13, and there's widespread confusion as to how, exactly, each state appoints its delegates. Here's a breakdown of what to expect in the near term. Rules are all according to thegreenpapers.com.